STAMFORD, CT, May 27, 2014 /3BL Media/ – For the past two months, five affiliates from Keep America Beautiful (KAB) have been competing for a total of $25,000 in grants in Taking Root™, a gardening grant program from Troy-Bilt® and KAB.

Receiving the most votes, Keep North Platte and Lincoln Co. Beautiful will receive the largest grant – $12,000 in cash and up to $2,000 in Troy-Bilt products. The grant will be used for the North Platte community garden, which will offer growing space to community members and elementary school students, and become an educational resource for the community.

Newport News Public Works Recycling, the finalist with the second-most votes, will receive an $8,000 grant and up to $1,500 in lawn care and garden equipment. The grant will be used for the new School Green Space Project, which is aimed at turning an underutilized courtyard area into a usable, student-friendly outdoor classroom.

The last grant will go to Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, which will receive a $5,000 grant and up to $1,000 in Troy-Bilt equipment. The grant will be used to expand Concordia Gardens, a 1.5-acre community garden, to provide the neighborhood with access to healthy produce.

Keep Greenwood County Beautiful's grant will be used to expand the Greenwood County community garden to allow more community members to grow produce, connect with others, and continue to strengthen our community. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful's grant will be used for the Florida Learning Garden, which will serve as an environmentally sustainable facility to provide educational opportunities, service projects and workshops to area schools and community members.

For more information about the Taking Root™ grant recipients, click here.

About Troy-BiltIn 1937, Troy-Bilt® introduced the first American-made rototiller and since then has expanded its legendary expertise and durable product line to create a complete selection of the industry’s finest lawn and garden tools. The company’s award-winning product line includes top-quality tractors, mowers, tillers, cultivators, trimmers, snow throwers and a variety of outdoor power tools. Troy-Bilt machines are built to last and engineered to take on the toughest challenges to make jobs simpler and safer. For more information, visit troybilt.com or Troy-Bilt’s Facebook Page.

About Keep America BeautifulKeep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a national network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit kab.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.